Jane Austen: The Complete Novels

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Collected together in one volume, The Complete Novels show the development of Austen as a writer and social commentator. From the early optimism and youthful energy of Northanger Abbey to the quiet and subtle art of Persuasion, this collection reveals the breadth of one of the best loved novelists of all time.

Book Description

Jane Austen wrote in the eighteenth century, but her novels are timeless. This complete anthology is unique among single-volume editions of her work because it includes the obscure but delightful Lady Susan, along with the six better-known novels and thirty of Hugh Thomson's irresistible drawings.
All of Jane Austen's novels are love stories, all are stories of country gentry, and all end happily, one way or another. Her plots have the complexity of life and her characters are described with inimitable style and wit—whether caustic or warmly affectionate.
The novels contained in this anthology are Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan. The nineteenth-century illustrations of Hugh Thomson capture the flavor of Jane Austen's characters and enhance this extraordinary collection of the complete works of one of the greatest novelists of all time.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing compilation..........2007-08-10

This compilation is absolutely wonderful. It includes all of Austen's novels, also with an unpublished, early novel of hers. I totally recommend it if you simply want to read the novels. However, if you'd like a fancy copy of it you should try something else. This copy is quite simple and perfect for those who like the contents of books, and not the looks.

Jane Austen - a great read.......2007-04-24

I didn't expect to like Jane Austen, but this was a great set of stories at a great price. Happy endings and well written stories.

Jane Austen: The Complete Novels.......2007-03-15

Great book, especially for all Jane Austin fans. Also great for anyone who enjoys 19th century "trashy" romance novels (like I do!) A little more expensive than the paperback edition, but well worth the money. Put together much better and will last longer.

Fine print.......2007-03-12

Print much to small for an enjoyable read and I'm not ready for bifocals.

Jane Austen Is Timeless.......2007-02-12

I love the writing and the wit of Jane Austen,her novels are timeless and very entertaining to read.
The mark of a great writer is the ability to transport the reader into the pages of the book, in essence bring the book to life, Jane Austen accomplishes this feat with me.
I enjoy this era in history, the romance, the innocence, the language, the nuances.
I can't begin to explain how much I'm enjoying myself reading Jane Austen:The Complete Novels, I've wanted this book for so long and finally
I treated myself and bought it and it is so satisfying.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England

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An Easy to Read and Interesting Reference
Fun and Interesting
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew
Cute but glib--and wrong!
that's what they meant

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England
Daniel Pool
Manufacturer: Touchstone
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0671882368

Book Description

For every frustrated reader of the great nineteenth-century English novels of Austen, Trollope, Dickens, or the Brontës who has ever wondered whether a duke outranked an earl, when to yell "Tally Ho!" at a fox hunt, or how one landed in "debtor's prison," here is a "delightful reader's companion that lights up the literary dark" (The New York Times).

This fascinating, lively guide clarifies the sometimes bizarre maze of rules, regulations, and customs that governed everyday life in Victorian England. Author Daniel Pool provides countless intriguing details (did you know that the "plums" in Christmas plum pudding were actually raisins?) on the Church of England, sex, Parliament, dinner parties, country house visiting, and a host of other aspects of nineteenth-century English life -- both "upstairs" and "downstairs."

An illuminating glossary gives at a glance the meaning and significance of terms ranging from "ague" to "wainscoting," the specifics of the currency system, and a lively host of other details and curiosities of the day.

Customer Reviews:

An Easy to Read and Interesting Reference.......2007-09-30

If you read Regency or Victorian literature this is a reference you will want close at hand. Both Interesting and fun to read, the author says he wanted to "answer some of the questions that nag any half-curious reader of the great nineteenth-century English novels." He does just that. This book is meant as an overview, or introduction, to the period not an in-depth reference. You will not find lengthy discussions of what Jane Austen might have eaten, but there are several sections on foods and dinner parties.

The book includes a large glossary of terms peculiar to the period. I have found it handy when I've come across an unfamiliar word in a novel and didn't want to stop reading and go research it.

While I feel the book does cover both the Regency and Victorian era fairly well, I believe it can be criticized for spanning too great of a period. Imagine a book attempting to give insight into the entire twentieth century, a period that would include the Wright Brothers and the moon landings and corsets and miniskirts, and many more contrasts. The nineteenth century had many similar contrasts making it difficult to write a single volume cover the entire period.

I recommend two other books for anyone reading Victorian literature, Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England and To Marry an English Lord by Gail MacColl and Carol McD. Wallace

Recommendation: Anyone starting down the road of enjoying Regency or Victorian literature should find this a handy reference.

Kyle Pratt

Fun and Interesting.......2007-06-11

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in Nineteenth-Century England, by Daniel Pool, is a nice book that is full of fun facts and answers to questions that come about from the reading of some of the great English writers. The book needs to be taken for what it is... entertainment, rather than relied upon as a historical textbook of any kind. I find the book an interesting diversion occasionally, and fun for picking up a bit of the Victorian period. Enjoy. Three stars.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew.......2007-05-13

That's a perfect book. If you want to know anything interesting about the 19th century in England, you should read it.I teach English as the second language and it's sometimes too difficult to draw students' attention through the whole lesson. There are many interesting and unknown things, that help students to imagine this time in England. On the other hand, the book is written by clear and easy English so I could not stop reading till I finished.

Cute but glib--and wrong!.......2007-03-30

This is an error-ridden, foolish little book that is just fine for casual consumption but is a terrible place for anyone serious about history to try to learn anything. I write Victorian-set novels, and I really think that books like these are a major problem with my genre as they fool would-be writers into believing that they actually have actually done "research."

*sighs*

Read through George Eliot, Trollope, Austen, Dickens, the Eyres, and Thackeray. Then read articles from popular newspapers and real histories of the period. And then collect fashion plate images and discriptions. Buy copies of Mrs. Beeton and Mayhew. THEN you will have done some research about the 19th c.

that's what they meant.......2007-03-16

i am a dickens, austen, bronte, hardy, wharton, etc. reader. this book relates the conditions of the times and the reasons things were done as they were. eye-opening, fun to read, very informative. even a glossary at the end of the book.

Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders

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Helping to explain some of the more obscure aspects of Jane Austen's works, with elegance and art
Jane Austen impressed me!

Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders
Josephine Ross
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 159691274X
Release Date: 2006-10-03

Book Description

Jane Austen’s Guide to Good Manners is a light-hearted, insightful handbook written as if intended for her original Regency Era readers, and illustrated throughout with beautiful watercolors. When Anna, Jane Austen’s young niece, sent her a novel for “literary comment,” Jane loved everything about it, except its utter disregard for the manners of the day. The resulting and tender correspondence between the two serves as the foundation for this instructional book.
Etiquette and social behavior of the early 1800s come to life in lovely chapters teaching one on how to pay and return formal “calls,” how to properly refuse a proposal of marriage, who should lead off the dancing at a country-house ball, and what to wear for a morning walk. Jane Austen used these daily customs and niceties to brilliantly illuminate the cloistered world of high society women in her timeless novels. Now with this delightful handbook of correct social behavior, readers will learn just why Mrs. Bennet of Pride and Prejudice couldn’t call alone on her new, rich, bachelor neighbor and had to force the reluctant Mr. Bennet to do so…even as he uttered “Tis an etiquette I despise.”
An indispensable gift for any Austen fan, this beautiful book will prove irresistible to anyone wishing to go back in time to the atmosphere of their favorite Austen novels.

Customer Reviews:

Helping to explain some of the more obscure aspects of Jane Austen's works, with elegance and art.......2006-12-27

Being a fan of nearly everything Jane Austen, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that I would buy this book. The Regency period of English history -- from about 1790 to 1820 -- has always interested me, and has been a lucrative trade for modern romance writers, but I was curious about something. How was the Regency period actually? And to solve that question, writer Josephine Ross goes right to the source: none other than the most famous author of the Regency period, Jane Austen, who wrote six novels, and a wide selection of letters, to find out what were the correct manners of the time.

The Regency period was a time when to know how to behave was important. Having the knowledge of when to speak, how to speak, dress, and even introduce yourself could make or break your social success. With a gentle tongue-in-cheek humor, Josephine Ross takes examples from Austen's heroes and heroines to show the right way to behave, in a series of chapters that run the gamut from conversation to marriage and children.

Beginning with an Introduction about the Authoress, Jane Austen herself, the reader is guided into the world of polite society, starting with Manners, Introductions, Conversation, Dining and Dancing, Dress and Taste, Matrimony, Family and finally, Servants. For each aspect, Ross draws on the observations made in the books and letters, and more importantly, shows why a blunder -- or save -- was made.

What I really liked about the book is that it suddenly opened up some of the more obtuse passages in the books that didn't make much sense to me when I had first read them. Of course, Jane Austen already knew that her audience were very familiar with the background that she was working with, and so naturally, didn't bother to explain anything. But for the modern reader, with our quick world of the internet, flashy clothing, and a rather casual attitude towards relationships, some of the behavior seems downright strange. Why would plain white clothing make a woman fashionable above all else; why would a gentlewoman never, but never, visit a man alone, and how being able to make an introduction could prove to be invaluable later?

And yes, many of these same ideas apply in our own world. Some might find them to be terribly old fashioned, but some basics still matter -- especially when a person finds themselves in a scenario where good manners do count, such as say, in a business setting or when meeting potential in-laws, and both skill and tact are called for.

Along with the humor and various aha! moments, the other pleasure of this book were the delicate watercolours painted by Henrietta Webb that illustrated the book throughout. They caught the mood perfectly, and with just a dash of irony as well.

For collectors and fans of Jane Austen's novels, and anyone who needs a good laugh or quiet chuckle, this slim volume -- it's under 150 pages in length -- would make a delightful little present. The layout and design is lovely, and easy on the eyes, presented in a small, hardback format. Josephine Ross has also written a more scholarly work on Jane Austen, which goes into more detail about life in the Regency period.

Happily recommended.

Jane Austen impressed me!.......2006-10-12

This is a graceful book. If you want be a elegant person, you must read this gorgeous book. I Love Jane Austen's stlye, life, everything.

Average customer rating:

hard to find biography
Interesting peripheral material, mediocre to poor biography
Magnificent.
Jane Explained
Could this be the last word on Jane Austen?

Jane Austen: A Life
Claire Tomalin
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0679766766
Release Date: 1999-04-27

Amazon.com

The author of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and other comedies of manners gets a biography similar in tone to her own books: intelligent but not intellectual, witty without being nasty. Claire Tomalin, author of four previous biographies of notable British women, treats Jane Austen (1775-1817) with the respect her genius deserves. Tomalin eschews gossip and speculation in favor of a sober account of the writer's life that nonetheless sparkles with sly humor. Perceptive analyses of each of Austen's novels, with autobiographical links suggested but never insisted upon, add to the value of Jane Austen: A Life.

Book Description

Here, firmly rooted in her own social setting for the first time, is the real Jane Austen--the shy woman willing to challenge convention, the woman of no pretensions who nevertheless called herself "formidable," a woman who could be frivolous and yet suffer from black depressions, who showed unfailing loyalty and, in the conduct of her own life, unfailing bravery. In an act of understanding and brilliant synthesis, Claire Tomalin reveals Jane Austen with a clarity never before achieved, one which makes us look upon her novels with fresh and even greater admiration.

The world she wrote about--that place of civility and reassuring stability--was never quite her own. As Tomalin shows, Jane Austen's family existed on the very fringe of the world she described in her fiction, struggling to get ahead with little money and no land in the competitive society of Georgian England, sometimes succeeding but often failing with painful consequences. New research in family papers has yielded a rich, tragicomic picture of the Austen clan--their ambitions, their matrimonial alliances, their exotic connections with India and France. At the same time, Tomalin's explorations in local archives reveal a surprising view of the neighbors the family lived among in Hampshire, more extravagant and eccentric by far than anyone depicted in Austen's books. We realize how much closer her genius lies, in its splendid artifice, to the great comic operas of Mozart than to the main tradition of the English novel.

But it is in the deeply human portrait of Jane Austen herself that this biography excels. The honesty and directness of her personality (perfect heroines made her "sick and wicked"), her strength in giving up a chance at marriage to follow the path her vocation as a writer required her to take, the warmth and long consistency of her relationship with her sister, Cassandra, the poignancy of her death--Claire Tomalin here captures, with unforgettable skill, the living character of a great writer who is read, reread, read again, and adored, now more than ever.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

hard to find biography.......2007-01-09

I could not find a good biography of Jane Austin at any of our local bookstores....this item was exactly what I was looking for. It arrived quickly and in excellent condition.

Interesting peripheral material, mediocre to poor biography.......2005-06-29

I find it impossible to trust any would-be interpreter of Jane Austen who, in her analysis of Pride & Prejudice, writes the line: "Her [Mrs. Bennet's] restored faith that Lydia and Wickham will turn out very well is wonderfully brought to pass". This is easily my least favorite among the seven or so biographies that I have read; I was particularly disappointed after marvelous beginning that Tomalin made in describing Jane's birth and earliest life. I made myself read it a second time in order to be fair.

I am left with the feeling that while Tomalin genuinely admires Jane Austen, she has considerably more pity for her life than sympathy for her point of view. Ms. Tomalin places a great emphasis on the importance of passion and enthusiasm that I doubt Austen so uncritically shared. Indeed, Ms. Tomalin has to interchange JA's heroes and villains in order to come up with interpretations of the book that please her, and in several cases, insist that JA got things wrong in her epilogues. This leads to some odd juxtapositions that fit right in with Tomalin's somewhat overwrought thinking. Tomalin cannot accept that Marianne could move on and love Colonel Brandon, but she is also upset that Cassandra Austen spent the rest of her life mourning her dead fiance. Isn't perpetual mourning for a lost love what Tomalin would have Marianne doing, given that Willoughby married someone else? Consistently inconsistent, Tomalin lambastes Fanny Price for declining to marry someone that she doesn't love (or like or trust), at least while there her true love remains available. Claudia Johnson, in her book Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel, has some acerbic and apropos remarks about the tradition of women remaining true to their first love, generally by dying, as Marianne almost did.

Tomalin is apparently one of those who feel that it is not enough of an achievement for Austen to be one of the very few authors who, after two hundred years, remain both critical and popular successes. No, she wants to convert JA to a heroine suitable for the late 20th century. This is particularly ironic since she faults the Victorians for their attempts to remake JA in their own image. She attempts, failing dismally in my case, to convince us that JA had an eventful life. She turns to posthumous psychoanalysis for this, interpreting eventful as traumatic and finding psychic wounds from the Austens' childrearing techniques. The book rapidly takes on a whiny quality that I found tedious and annoying.

I comment on this being 52, having been born in 1953. As such, I can remember when "experts had proven" that the child is born a blank slate through the present day when parents are held to have little effect on their children's psychological development except for the responsibility to keep them alive and healthy. I am also well aware that "expert" child-rearing advice has changed over the centuries, some eras recommend techniques that in other eras were considered certain to produce psychopaths. (readers might want to read Sarah Hrdy's Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species or Stephen Pinker's The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature). While my own tastes in childrearing certainly would align more with Tomalin's, I find it foolish and irritating for her to excoriate Mrs. Austen for raising their children according to the accepted pattern of their day. (And for all that Tomalin may bring in feminist interpretation, she is clearly engaging in mother-blaming here: all decisions that she doesn't like are charged to Mrs. Austen.) While her arguments of how this affected JA may seem logical, does it make sense when considering that so many other people of the time shared similar experiences? The reader may want to read Elizabeth Jenkin's arguments in her 1938 book, Jane Austen: A Biography, that Jane Austen was in fact writing through most of her "years of silence", as well as David Nokes arguments in his 1997 biography, Jane Austen: A Life, that Jane was having too good a time to write as much, before accepting Tomalin's explanation of Jane as falling into a severe depression after a repetition of childhood trauma.

I think in her efforts to make JA into a martyr, Tomalin slights her as a social critic. She also fails to fully appreciate the problems of dependent daughters in interlocked families, the tension between wanting and needing family unity, and the desire for personal autonomy. I have no doubt that JA keenly felt and resented the disadvantages imposed upon her as a younger unmarried daughter, but this is not a unique problem imposed by her particular family. The conventions of the time meant that Jane and Cassandra really were financial drains on their family: their society had failed to make any accomodation to the realities of making women financially dependent but expecting companiate marriages. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the popularity of JA derives from her attention to this double-bind that so many of her female readers shared.

Tomalin sees the effect only on Jane, not on her other family members. I can sympathize with JA's distress at leaving Steventon, but surely her 72-year old father was entitled to retire? Her parents spent decades in Hampshire whether they liked it or not because that is where Rev. George Austen's living was - didn't they have as much right to live somewhere else for a change as Jane had stay where she was? Tomalin faults James for not offering his sisters a home independent of his mother; I presume that Jane could have asserted her wishes on the basis of his offer to house all three women, but, independent of Jane's dislike for James' wife Mary, how practical would that have been? If Jane has lived with James, would Cassandra have been with her or with their mother? At that time, given their resources, it may have been impossible for Mrs. Austen and her daughters to independently pursue the course that each preferred. Several solutions suggest themselves, but they all involve Mrs. Austen living as a dependent relation or the brothers Austen coming up with a lot more money.

Tomalin also by this makes JA something of a hothouse flower. Tomalin makes a point of mentioning servants, but in a somewhat contradictory fashion is arguing that Jane's family should have understood her genius and supported her in the leisured style to which she was somewhat, and would have like to have been even more accustomed. I would have liked that myself. How many people have the luxury of choosing quiet or excitement and work or leisure just as they choose? If JA had lived today, would she have been able to write if she had also been required to earn her own living?

Tomalin has done some wonderful research on peripheral matters such as Austen's neighbors that anyone who is very interested in Austen or her period should find very interesting. Indeed, has this been written as a book on the associates of the Austens, I would probably have given it 5-stars as long as Tomalin left out her psychologizing. This includes much more about Jane's cousin and sister-in-law Eliza Hancock than is warranted by her importance in the author's life. It is very interesting, and I am happy to read it, but it does remain that the real biographical information on JA herself is somewhat scanty compared to other biographies of this length. I would not recommend this as either a first or only biography. My own recommendations for biographies so far are Carol Shields (short), Jane Austen (Penguin Lives); Valerie Grosvenor Myers' Jane Austen, Obstinate Heart: A Biography (moderate length, seriously flawed by a lack of notes); and John Halperin's The Life of Jane Austen (long). Elizabeth Jenkins' Jane Austen: A Biography is considered a classic biography, but it can be difficult to get and doesn't strike me as worth the trouble given the other material now available.

The notes are beautifully done so that it is easy to match the note with the citation in the text. There are also useful family trees and a map of the Hampshire neighborhood of the Austens. I cannot begin to guess what the logic for arranging the bibliography was.

Magnificent. .......2005-04-18

What a fascinating portrait! I found this very hard to put down. Tomalin is an excellent writer: straightforward, witty, and articulate about my favorite author's life. Loving Austen novels, I also have to add that I have been hesitant to ever read a biography, but now I am grateful that I understand Austen's world and her extremely interesting family. The stories draw you in and keep you reading long into the night, transporting you to England in the 1770's and beyond. Reading this is a little like reading Austen and that is the highest compliment I can pay an author.

Jane Explained.......2004-11-28

I have often wondered what Jane's life was *really* like. Having read every one of her books and seen most of the movies, I often wondered if she was like any of her heroines. In reading this book, I began to understand her situation more. A woman who was reliant on her brothers for a place to live, and money to spend, but who exercised a spirit of independence in her written word.

Honestly, while I can see why Cass mutilated Jane's letters after her death, I think that it is truly a shame because we will never know what she was thinking during that period of her life where she wasn't writing at all, or at any of the other difficult times of her life.

Tomalin's book was well researched and brought me into Jane's life as no other book has done. I thought it was interesting to watch Jane's growth as a writer. I was left with the thought that Jane imbued her heroines with a part of herself. Whether it is Lizzie's intelligence, or Anne Elliot's situation in life, Jane's life was full of interesting events and people. Tomalin's book allowed Jane to shine. A must read.

Could this be the last word on Jane Austen?.......2003-12-29

Jane Austen's stocks rise higher and higher as the years go by. Several of her novels continue to feature in bestseller lists, film and TV adaptations of them abound, and biographies appear regularly. This masterly biography, by Claire Tomalin, is the seventh Jane Austen biography I have read in the past twenty years.

Claire Tomalin examines her elusive subject from very possible perspective. The Austen genealogy is probed, every known neighbor and witness and every witness's evidence is weighed and balanced, Jane Austen's writings are examined and assessed, and the situations of her brothers' living descendants are sometimes mentioned. Publishing and republishing histories are given, a family tree is included, and the many illustrations are given punchy captions. Gracing (or disfiguring) the cover is the only known pictorial representation of Jane Austen, an unfinished sketch done by her sister Cassandra, a sketch that was not discovered until long after Jane and Cassandra had died and which a niece said was "hideously unlike" her aunt.

Don't assume from all this that the book is merely an exhaustive effort of plodding detection. Sensitive and intelligent guesswork is here. Brilliant deductions are made. What is known, for example is that the Austen daughters and their parents had no permanent home during the "unproductive" decade when Jane was in her 20s and early 30s. What is also known is that Jane Austen had drafted three of her novels before this, as well as the novella "Lady Susan". The fact that Claire Tomalin deduces from this is that Jane Austen must have protected and cared for her manuscripts like a mother with newborn babies. Carriers would have been unreliable, cases of paper could break and spill, and a penniless young woman could hardly command premium quality cartage.

Other known facts are sometimes given a creative spin. You will read an especially creative and imaginative account of Jane Austen receiving, accepting and then rejecting a proposal of marriage from Harris Biggs.

Book Description

Now in Penguin Classics—a treasure trove of Jane Austen's novels

Few novelists have conveyed the subtleties and nuances of their own social milieu with the wit and insight of Jane Austen. Here in one volume are her seven great novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan. Through her vivacious and spirited heroines and their circle, Austen vividly portrays English middle-class life as the eighteenth century came to a close and the nineteenth century began. Each of the novels is a love story and a story about marriage—marriage for love, for financial security, for social status. But they are not romances; ironic, comic, and wise, they are masterly evocations of the society Jane Austen observed. This beautiful volume covers the literary career of one of England's finest prose stylists of any century.

“These modern editions are to be strongly recommended.”
—Brian Southam, The Jane Austen Society

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Complete Edition -- Penguin Classics Deluxe.......2006-05-03

There are several complete editions on Amazon of Austen's novels, so I thought I would write a review recommending this one (the Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition). It lays open in your hand, has nice paper and high-quality paperback binding and cover, and it has perfectly sized type and wide inside margins. Other than the substantial size and weight (though it is not nearly as inconvenient as quarto-sized complete editions, such as the classic Sherlock Holmes), it is a perfect volume for those who are more interested in reading Austen than admiring how she looks on the shelf.

By contrast, the Modern Library hardcover edition (which I compared in person at the bookstore) has such a narrow inside margin that the reader must strain to read bent text or to force the binding to open more and the paper to lay flatter. Otherwise, it was a nice edition. For me, they ruined it by this simple mistake.

The leather bound edition from the Library of Literary Classics is a nice idea, and I have not seen it in person. I did notice, however, that the table of contents shows how little space they manage to squeeze Austen's novels into. It has far fewer pages than the Penquin Classics Deluxe Edition. When previewing the pages of text, this seems apparent in the very small type. As I said, I have not seen it in person, so I may be wrong, but it looks like it might be a strain to read, whereas the Penguin is quite comfortable. Hopefully Penguin will provide preview images soon so potential buyers can "Look Inside" and compare for themselves.

It is wonderful that there are so many editions of Austen to choose from. The choice is personal and subjective. I will spend many, many hours reading mine, so I chose the one that I thought would be the most comfortable. I do not want to fight the book -- I want it to disappear so that my imagination may wander unhindered with Jane's characters. I hope you enjoy the novels, whichever edition you choose.

Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World's Classics)

Average customer rating:

A 'nice' collection of early Austen and a few out-takes

Northanger Abbey, Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Oxford World's Classics)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192840827

Book Description

'...in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty.' Northanger Abbey is about the misadventures of Catherine Morland, young, ingenuous, and mettlesome, and an indefatigable reader of gothic novels. Their romantic excess and dark overstatement feed her imagination, as tyrannical fathers and diabolical villains work their evil on forlorn heroines in isolated settings. What could be more remote from the uneventful securities of life in the midland counties of England? Yet as Austen brilliantly contrasts fiction with reality, ordinary life takes a more sinister turn, and edginess and circumspection are reaffirmed alongside comedy and literary burlesque. Also including Austen's other short fictions, Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon, this valuable new edition examines the ambitious and innovative works with which she inaugurated as well as closed her career.

Customer Reviews:

A 'nice' collection of early Austen and a few out-takes.......2005-05-24

This book brings together Austen's earliest novel, Northanger Abbey (although it was not published for many years after completion), with some of her earlier works and her final, unfinished, piece Sanditon.
This edition also has a fine introduction, which gives an interesting view of Austen's works and fleshes out some of the details surrounding the three lesser known works.
Northanger Abbey is, of course, the best known of these works, and a review follows below. Of the other three pieces, Lady Susan is the only completed one.
It follows the epistolary format that Austen experimented with extensively in her early career, but ultimately abandons the format, a little disappointingly.
It is an engaging piece, and the Lady Susan of the title is a vivacious, although reprehensible, character. Lady Susan has by far the strongest voice of the piece, but it is unclear whether she is truly intended as the heroine, or whether our sympathies should lie with her hapless daughter Frederica. Lady Susan is certainly a much more determined flirt than any of Austen's other major characters, and much older too (although perhaps not wiser).
The Watsons is a much shorter fragment, also dating from Austen's earlier career. It is darker in tone than her other works, and seems to tend more towards realism. It seems that this may be one of the reasons she chose not to finish the piece, although it seems that she ultimately intended for the piece to have a happy ending.
Sanditon is Austen's final work, begun shortly before her death and, sadly, never finished. The piece appears to have had a great deal of scope, describing the life and a times of the seaside resort of Sanditon. The tone and outlook of the piece are surprisingly upbeat, given the poor state of Austen's health as she was writing.
I hear that authors never like people to pick their early works as their best, but I've always had a sneaking fondness for Northanger Abbey. Luckily, Jane Austen is unlikely to complain about me liking one of her earliest works.
The novel's appeal is its extremely likeable anti-heroine, Catherine Morland. Catherine's appeal is her innocence and above all her fallibility. Of course, none of Austen's heroines are perfect, but Catherine has a charm that Austen's more self-possessed characters like Emma Woodhouse and Lizzie Bennett lack.
For this reason, I would say that Northanger Abbey can be a good introduction to Jane Austen, especially for younger readers, who may identify more readily with Catherine's naivete than with some of Austen's more mature characters.
As ever, Austen is in fine satirical form, but she and her characters stop short of outright mocking the fanciful Catherine and her unfortunate novel-reading habits. As one might expect, the novel ends with Catherine's reform, redemption would perhaps be too strong a term to use here, and Austen allows the imperfect Catherine to shine among a sea of other imperfect characters. (Naturally, some are more imperfect than others.)
One of the novel's stated objects is to satirise the gothic novels of Mrs. Radcliffe and her imitators. For the most part, Austen succeeds admirably, but once again her treatment of the subject is rather gentle. Although not many people these days will read the original gothic novels, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there addicted to contemporary fantastical horror that would crack a wry smile at the story, and be able to identify with 'poor' Catherine.
Perhaps at times the characters do seem to be a little overstated, maybe a little too black and white, but this is a very creditable early effort from Austen, and perhaps some of her characterisation issues can be traced back to her use of the gothic novel as inspiration.
All in all, a fine book, and certainly one for all of those 'almost pretty' girls out there who have their heads stuck inside books at every opportunity.

Overall, this edition makes a good addition to any Austen fan's bookshelf, the inclusion of the lesser known pieces makes an interesting companion to Northanger Abbey.

The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World

Average customer rating:

Psst, Jane Austen Never Wore Panties
For someone who hasn't read Jane Austen
Excessively Diverting!
Fun and Informative!
Sullivan's view on Jane Austen: Is this really necessary?

The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World
Margaret C. Sullivan
Manufacturer: Quirk Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1594741719

Book Description

Jane Austen published her first novel in 1811, but today she's more popular than ever. Film adaptations of her books are nominated for Academy Awards. Chick lit bestsellers are based on her plots. And a new biopic of Austen herself Becoming Jane arrives in theaters this spring.

For all those readers who dream about living in Regency England, The Jane Austen Handbook offers step-by-step instructions for proper comportment in the early nineteenth century. You'll discover:
How to Become an Accomplished Lady
How to Run a Great House
How to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward
How to Throw a Dinner Party
How to Choose and Buy Clothing

Full of practical directions for navigating the travails of Regency life, this charming illustrated book also serves as a companion for present-day readers, explaining the English class system, currency, dress, and the nuances of graceful living.

Customer Reviews:

Psst, Jane Austen Never Wore Panties.......2007-10-17

Yes, it honestly says so in this book, on page ninety-two.

Okay, actually it doesn't quite, but after a lengthy discussion of undergarments of the Regency, what it truly does say is:

"That means we may assume, with a high degree of probability, that Jane Austen went commando."

And I don't think that means that the authoress of Emma (which inspired the movie Clueless, y'know) was involved in special forces military operations during the Napoleon Wars.

All righty, now that my title and opening paragraphs have alienated Austen scholars everywhere while also nicely hemming in Amazon's male readership, I'll try for the other half of the public by mentioning that this bite-sized robin's egg blue book is great as a resource for describing the minutia of morals, manners, social customs, dining habits, drinking practices, religion, travel arrangements, and much else of Englishwomen and Englishmen from the period in which Austen set her novels. Far from the boring and dusty tomes that too frequently tackle subjects like these, The Jane Austen Handbook is fast-paced and fun. I can't fairly describe myself as a great admirer of Jane Austen's sex-`n-violence-lacking tales but I thought Margaret C. Sullivan's work was absolutely first-rate. I enjoyed tremendously reading about the background facts of exactly how life would have been played out for those who peopled Persuasion, or who truly lived two centuries ago in rural England.

To highlight a few of the eye-opening revelations:

Back then almost everyone was on opium at one time or another.

Like the former pop stars of today, women didn't wear underwear. (Oh, wait, I already covered that..)

Gentlemen could be more elaborately dressed than women without being thought the slightest bit light in the wrist.

Eloping to Scotland was an option for those seeking the Vegas wedding of the day. In one infamous Scottish town, Gretna Green, girls as young as twelve or boys as ancient as fourteen could seek out the local blacksmith and be legally wed without a license, certificate, or even a pastor. Cool!

"Flattering a gentleman's vanity" was the best all-purpose come-on there was in Miss Austen's age.

Female hypochondria was de rigueur and skilled hypochondriacs were much-respected. (While the garden variety practitioners like Mary Musgrove were less lauded.)

There were but four acceptable professions for a gentleman to enter--the church, the law, the military, or medicine---and strangely not one of them involved music, sports, or acting.

So, whether you want to know the difference in a hack, a gig, or a curricle, wish to know how to fold your next letter "just so" or if you're one of those types who just can't get enough Jane ("Why can't she have her own twenty-four-hour cable network?" you've sincerely remarked) Austen this is the reference book for you!

For someone who hasn't read Jane Austen.......2007-09-04

This book is an interesting companion book for someone who is reading Jane Austen for the first time and does not know much about the Regency period. It will clear up many incidents in the book, specially those where a character behaves contrary to the etiquette of the period. Since most of the formalities are no longer in practice, they can be very confusing to a modern reader.

People who have read most of Austen's work or are more familiar with the Regency will quickly realize that this book is strictly tied to Austen. No other sources are sited and all examples are from Austen books.

I found this limitation very irritating. The book did not expand my views on the subject at all and did not explore any of the more subtle social tensions in the book. It quickly became a game of spot the reworked Austen quote.

Excessively Diverting!.......2007-07-19

Jane Austen aficionados can be divided into two groups: those who found Jane before Colin Firth came out of that pond in his wet linen shirt, and those who found her afterwards.

Margaret Sullivan's witty, informative, and instructive little volume is the perfect companion for the members of the post-Wet Darcy fandom, although most Janeites should find plenty here to enjoy. The ever-growing numbers of readers who are discovering the pleasure of reading the novels after having fallen in love with the popular movies and miniseries will find many of their questions about Jane's world answered in a humorous way which does not condescend. What is entailment? Why was the toad-eating Rev. Collins considered a good catch for Lizzie? Why did Catherine and Henry have to maintain a clandestine correspondence when everyone knew that they had formed an attachment? Why is a morning call sometimes paid in the afternoon? The list goes on.

The illustrations are charming and period perfect. None of this nonsense you see in the popular press associating Jane Austen's world with corsets and hoop skirts and bustles and other such Victoriana.

This book will definitely enhance a new fan's enjoyment and appreciation of the novels as they delve into them, and provided this pre-Wet Darcy fan with the perfect little volume to peruse in those times of extreme deshabille when a few minutes of light reading is required, but no more.

While it would never be mistaken for a doctoral thesis, and is clearly not masquerading as such, I think even most longtime fans and readers will find a few nuggets of information that they did not know. The author's broad knowledge of her subject matter shines through the froth.

Now, if Ms. Sullivan would only share with us her views on the various movies and adaptations of Jane's work...perhaps "A Sensible, Yet Snark-filled Guide to the World of Jane on Film", my happiness would be complete.

Fun and Informative!.......2007-06-27

I own and have read Ross' A Jane Austen Companion, Jane Austen for Dummies, and The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World. They are all very different in tone and in the information they present.
The Jane Austen Handbook is fun and informative, much as is a Jane Austen novel - full of lessons for the wise and discerning, set forth in a very entertaining style. Since that was the goal of this particular book, it has succeeded. There are other books, such as Josephine Ross's A Jane Austen Companion - not as entertaining but informative, and Jane Austen for Dummies, which concentrates on introducing the reader to the art and importance of Austen, in addition to many other topics, in a very amusing style. To compare them with each other does those reading reviews a disservice.
Margaret Sullivan's book is a perfect introduction for the reader new to Austen and her time. That said, those very familiar with Austen will be delightfully entertained with the many inside jokes in her book, such as listing "offer to mend a gentleman's pen" under How to Indicate Interest in a Gentleman Without Seeming Forward. (If this doesn't make you smile, seek membership in the Somber Literary Society.) Educated Janeites will enjoy the many obvious Austen references, including "a quick succession of busy nothings." Newly declared Jane Austen fans will learn information that will add to their enjoyment of reading her novels. For the movie fans, there is a list of Jane Austen adaptations and related movies. Something for everyone! I cannot imagine how someone would not enjoy this book. Well, perhaps Mrs. Norris would not.

Sullivan's view on Jane Austen: Is this really necessary?.......2007-06-02

It seems that every time I stroll into either a brick-and-mortar or online bookstore, I spot yet another book on Jane Austen. There are books on manners, biographies, cookbooks, tour guides, and even a reality-tv series. Miss Austen, it seems, is a goldmine available for anyone ready to plumb the depths of Regency England.

This time, it is Margaret Sullivan who has combed through six novels and other literary fragments that Miss Austen left behind, and has come up with a book of manners and truly correct behavior for the modern reader who wants to figure out why in the devil does it seem to take so long for our various heroes and heroines to admit that they do indeed love one another? And why is so much time spent on writing letters, details of dress, and why was it so awful not to get married at all?

Margaret Sullivan takes a look at all of this, and the minutiae of daily living in this volume. The various chapters are filled with quotes, anecdotes, drawings, how to's, and numerous drawings and sidebars. All of this is presented in a small hardbound book about the size of a mass-market paperback, printed on ivory paper in varying shades of teal-coloured ink. At this point, the sheer preciousness of this volume was starting to sink in, and I was wondering if I had indeed, wasted my money.

Well, yes, and no. Let's first take a look at what the various chapters cover:

Introduction
Margaret Sullivan discusses as to why she wrote this book, along with snippets talking about what is forthcoming in the book.

Jane Austen's World and Welcome To It
This section addresses who are "The Quality," the ever-present question of money and why you need it so badly -- one of the paradoxes of the period was that a 'gentleman' was considered to be someone who had plenty of money, but was required to be never shown actually earning it, how to write letters, and how to get about in a ladylike manner, especially on a horse.

A Quick Succession of Busy Nothing; Or Everyday Activities
The title here implies that the genteel woman was rather idle and listless -- far from it! There are details on clothing, and acquiring it, planning dinner parties, raising children, doing Good Works, and all the rest. While it's certainly interesting, there's a sort of cruel nature to this, as though Sullivan was trying to be sly, but just comes off as being nasty about what women were doing, and how worthless it all was.

Making Love
Getting the man, keeping the man, breaking up, and getting back together. Not what we would call making love now, but rather, the politics of courtship and planning a wedding. I do have to say this too was interesting, but again, the author puts on the smarmy tone, which isn't too pleasant to read about.

The Best Company; or Social Gatherings
Snobbery runs amuck here. Social calls, balls, dinner parties, and card playing. It's more of how to be a gracious host or guest, two talents that I tend to find woefully absent in our modern age. Still, out of the various chapters, this one at least has some interesting bits that help to explain some of the actions in Austen's novels.

Appendix
It's this chapter, at the end, which provides the most information for the reader. There is a short biography of Jane Austen, synopsizes of her works. This has, up to the end of 2006, all of the very many books that have been published as prequels and sequels -- what the author has titled 'paraliterature' -- to Jane Austen's novels. Most interesting are the lists of film and television adaptations of all of Jane Austen's works.

In addition to all of this, there are also resources, a bibliography, glossary of terms used in Austen's time, and index, along with a short blurb about the author.

Most of this material is covered elsewhere, and what with the recent upsurge of ephemera on Jane Austen, there's quite a bit for the curious reader to choose from. I would suggest the works of Josephine Ross,

Overall, it's nearly a four star book, but I found the author's attitude a touch on the sarcastic side, and more than a little snobbish towards the reader. This was the most disappointing aspect of the book, as it tends to get very tiresome after the first few occurrences, and Sullivan comes off as trying to be far too clever, and ends up on the cutting side. It's not exactly a way to win over the reader.

Somewhat Recommended.

Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

Phyllis Ann Karr's little-read treasure: the excellent re-write of Austen's novella
A great twist from a favorite author
Those Lesser Known Gems
Misress of Artifice
Lady Susan - Better as an Audiobook

Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon (Penguin Classics)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140431020

Book Description

Jane Austen (1775-1817) is considered by many scholars to be the first great woman novelist. Her novels revolve around people, not events or coincidences. Miss Austen sets her novels in the upper middle class English country which was her own environment.

Her novels have increased in stature over time. Her skills of writing, including a dry humor and a witty elegance of expression have attracted generations to her work.

Miss Austen completed six novels and part of a seventh, "Sense and Sensibility", "Pride and Prejudice", "Mansfield Park", "Emma", "Northanger Abbey", "Persuasion" and the partial "Lady Susan". Quiet Vision publishes all seven.

Download Description

A sparkling drama centered on a beautiful, intelligent and wicked heroine.

Customer Reviews:

Phyllis Ann Karr's little-read treasure: the excellent re-write of Austen's novella.......2007-08-15

Unlike most of the reviews below, this review discusses NOT Jane Austen's short epistolary novella "Lady Susan", but, rather, the product presented in this page- Phyllis Ann Karr's 1980 re-write of Austen's novella.

The original novella deals with Lady Susan, a beautiful and crafty young widow who uses her appearance and intelligence as a weapon to dupe and manipulate everyone to her own satisfaction. She takes on a married lover while making at least two younger men fall in love with her, all the while trying to bully her "milky", oppressed daughter Frederica into marrying a foolish young baronet. She is the heroine-villainess of the tale, and a rather unique figure in Austen's literature (although not so unique, since the novella was written in Austen's youth, and anyone who read her Juvenilia knows that the young Austen's early writing could be brutally funny and even amoral).

Karr's completion of this tale is absolutely excellent. She chooses to re-write Austen's story in third person rather than the original letters. Her prose is clear and beautifully written and, while not exactly Austen, very suitable to the kind of novel she is writing. Immeasurably superior to the many poorly written completions deluging the market nowadays.

Karr's characterization is excellent as well. She carefully follows the characterization presented in Austen's novella, and with additional, attractive development. Lady Susan is clever and crafty; Frederica is shy and "milky" but, at the same time, a serious, deep character, and extremely appealing as the novel's heroine. Other characters follow their original outlines, except two. Maria Mainwaring was drastically altered; but Karr's reasons for doing this were perfectly sound, and Maria merges gracefully into the novel. There is also the important addition of Charles Smith, only briefly mentioned in the novella but fully developed as Karr's original character. In some ways he perhaps becomes a little too important, but by the end of the novel I understood the reason for it and did not resent Karr's development of this character, who is actually quite appealing. My only complaint is that he seems to be better developed and more sympathetic than Reginald De Courcy.

Karr follows Austen's plot fairly closely, only making modifications where needed. "Lady Susan" is incomplete in some ways, the author finishing the tale with a hasty, although quite funny post-script. Karr completes the tale, only altering details when necessary and also enriching the rather slim plot by adding details to originally short incidents or events only briefly mentioned. There is one extremely significant alternation, in the romantic department, which I am not sure that all readers would like; but I understood the reason for it (although the author did not specifically state it in her Author's note) and I ended up liking it, even though it does not follow what was (apparently) Austen's original intentions.

In summary, this is DEFINITELY one of my favorite Austen sequels and completions, and superior to most modern Austen derivative works. If you like Austen completions, also try John Coates' "The Watsons" (1969) and Another Lady's "Sanditon". (1975). Both the best Austen completions/sequels I have read except this one.

A great twist from a favorite author.......2007-07-08

I just listened to "Lady Susan" as a Naxos Audiobook. What a delightful experience!

It has all the Austen perceptiveness and humor for the follies of her society, but the title character is emphatically NOT an Elizabeth or Jane (P&P), Elinor or Mariane (S&S) or even an Emma. This is a "bad girl" -- more like a Lydia (P&P) or Lucy (S&S) -- armed with maturity and even less conscience.

I don't usually enjoy audiobooks with multiple readers & music, but this one was a true pleasure.

Those Lesser Known Gems.......2007-01-13

Reading this reminded me why I love Jane Austen's writing so much. Such vitality and snap to it.

Lady Susan is written in letter form (which I didn't find too hard to deal with because I have been reading another set of books written in this manner) Its a very gossipy little story. Lady Susan a woman very used to getting her own way has foisted her presence on her unwilling inlaws. She then goes about corrupting the son of the family to the almost point of matrimony with her even though he has a natural inclination for her much tamer and sweeter daughter, Frederica. It all ends pretty amusingly and I could really see this as a successful stage play all of the different voices that are represented in this.

The Watsons I was SO SO SO upset to get to the end of what she had written as it is only around 30 pages long or so, her writing and characters are already strong that early into a work. Emma Watson seems to have a bit of all of her other heroines in her, she's quiet and observant, she's been taken from a rich sitation to a poor one, she immediately interests the most elusive male in her new neighborhood (while she is more interested in someone else). What I found the most interesting was the presence of a child character, Charles is a little boy who Emma befriends at a dance--and dances with it is adorable and he is a great character, something I've never seen in her other works. This could have been a brilliant novel.

Sanditon, ironically since I am rather ill at the moment is about a town designed for curing all ills, sort of a struggling pre-Bath. Its a seaside resort, Charlotte is our heroine, she is visiting with one of the main proprietors of the place and is the only truly sensible character to be encountered in the short work. I've no doubt there would have been a few more to witness had Austen finished it. It would have been great to mee the Miss Lambe character as she is half mulatto--race never being something witnessed in Austen's other works. I found myself laughing in several places, while the characters are very cartoony I still found them very endearing and very easy to picture. Its a great begining.

Misress of Artifice.......2005-03-18

LADY SUSAN: First of Three Austen Novellas

Unlike Austen's usual sweet-young-thing heroines, this title character appears as the antithesis of what we expect from a literary heroine. Perhaps the author sought to instruct or to edify female readers by presenting a thoroughly vain and heartless woman of thirty-something. Her reputation as a Flirt and Coquette (despite being widowed a scant four months) precedes her wherever she visits. Lady Susan is very attractive to men of all variety, from the too young to the too married. Mistress of subtle flattery and artifice she makes a tour of gullible or suspicious hosts, families, missing no opportunity to disrupt domestic harmony in order to pamper her feminine ego.

Written as an epistolary novel of 41 letters the story is presented without benefit of the usual exposition, which may cause readers some confusion, until the evidence of actions and her own admissions reveal the truth about the protagonist. Heartless mother towards her helpless 16-year-old daughter Lady Susan Vernon relies on one faithful female friend for support in her naughty schemes, but even that friend's husband has forbidden her presence in his home. The choice of best friends must be instructive as to one's real motives and character, so let this prove a cautionary tale for young widows and ambitious mothers. As Lady Susan torments her hostess, Catherine Vernon, and her susceptible younger brother, Reginald, in this curious novella, Austen provides insight into the feminine machinations of 19th century Society.

Lady Susan - Better as an Audiobook.......2004-07-22

I have just recently discovered Jane Austen's writings via the local library's audiobook section. I've loved what I've 'heard' thus far so when I saw a unabridged copy of 'Lady Susan' on CD for less then 15 dollars, I grabbed it.

Harriet Walter, Kim Hicks, Carole Boyd and the rest of the cast do a WONDERFUL job of portraying the various letter writers in this amusing novel. Their different voices lend so much to the presentation of this novel that I doubt I'll ever be able to read it, just listen to it.

I devoured (if you can devour an audio recording) this book in little over 2 days. I normally just listen while I am in the car driving to and from work, but I ended up taking this into the office with me and listening between phone calls.

If you want a amusing piece of literature, pick up the NAXOS Audiobook presentation of 'Lady Susan'. It's worth it.

Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author

Average customer rating:

A good resource for Jane Austen/Regency lovers, but ...
An Excellent Retelling of Her Life and Times
Helped me understand Jane Austen's novels better
Worth It!
Worth It!

Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author
Maggie Lane
Manufacturer: Carlton Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1844423689

Book Description

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen is one of the most popular novelists in the English language and her work is more popular today than ever before. The wit and romance of her writing captivate television and cinema audiences worldwide, while boosting the readership of the novels themselves. In an age when attention spans are low and fast, furious action drama overwhelms television and movie audiences, the sheer romance of Jane Austen adaptations has continued to prove itself at awards ceremonies. But who was Jane Austen and what sort of world did she inhabit? Maggie Lane, a respected Austen authority and a committee member of the Jane Austen Society, takes a look at the historical and social period in which Jane Austen was writing ? a time when England was developing into a colonial power, while George III sank into madness and the Regency took hold. Elsewhere, the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars raged and the New World was developing.

Customer Reviews:

A good resource for Jane Austen/Regency lovers, but ..........2007-03-20

This is an enjoyable flip-through for Jane Austen and Regency lovers, but because the format limits the length of any entry, it is a rather abbreviated overview without a lot of depth. Many of the entries had me yearning for more information, especially those items about social mores, society, relationships within the family, etc.

An Excellent Retelling of Her Life and Times.......2006-08-23

These days many books come along that discuss specific influences on Jane's writing such as poets, other authors, politics and social customs. This book allows a return to the overview of her story. The hard cover book is 8 x 11 in. which makes it easy to be a coffee table presentation or to read in a comfortable upright chair or even in bed (Yes, I do it!) Six well written chapters choronical her life, who she was, what it was like to live in Regency England, the society and spirit of her times, what her country was like, and her influence through the ages especially via her six novels and in the recent movies and television productions. For the old timers who have followed Jane Austen for some time or for the new comers wanting to know more, this is the book for you.

Helped me understand Jane Austen's novels better.......2002-05-24

This is a really great book. I'm a fan of Jane Austen and have read all her novels but there were many things in them that I didn't understand because I didn't know the culture, customs and history of that time. Just one small example--Mr. Darcy hands his letter to Elizabeth Bennett instead of mailing it. Apparently unmarried men and women did not correspond with each other unless they were relatives or engaged to be married. Another example--balls and dances were a primary way for unmarried people to meet and socialize and one of the few ways they could talk alone to each other (while on the dance floor). So the balls/dances in Jane Austen's books are much more significant than I realized.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand Jane Austen's novels better.

Worth It!.......2001-10-31

This books is so informative! Easy to read, lots of information about the Georgian and Regency Eras, very informative. It goes into depth about Jane Austen's time and her life. It talks about everything from the Army, to everyday life, to the madness of King George, fashion, etc.. So much info! If you're into history or Jane Austen, you'll like this book.

Worth It!.......2001-10-31

Modern Library : Complete Novels of Jane Austen, Volume II : Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion

Average customer rating:

Transcends Time
Strong Edition
Jane Austen anti-Modern Library consipiracy??
Caveat Emptor - DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM BEFORE READING THIS
Jane's prose is perfect

Modern Library : Complete Novels of Jane Austen, Volume II : Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

Transcends Time.......2006-09-26

This is an EXCELLENT collection of Jane Austen's novels. Yes, when buying it, my brother and I chuckled over the irony of "The Complete Novels... Volume I," but neither of us was silly enough to think we were immune from having to also purchase Volume II in order to have the Complete Novels. If you are looking for quality at a reasonable price, this is the collection to buy. These books are exceptionally well made, and the type and paper quality are well above average.

Volume I Review:

I originally read Volume I years ago after having first seen the television and movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I recently decided to re-read this volume and was even more enraptured with it than I was during the first read. The plight of the Dashwood sisters and the malleability of their step-brother by his cold wife in Sense and Sensibility is made so vivid by Jane Austen's flawless writing. What girl or woman reading Pride and Prejudice doesn't imagine she is Elizabeth Bennet, with both her beauty and intelligence, inadvertantly making Mr. Darcy fall in love with her? My heart positively ached for Fanny Price in Mansfield Park, and I wondered how she could put up with the neglect of her rich, fancy relatives and the tyranny of her Aunt Norris and maintain such a pure heart. I am awed by the timelessness and reality of these novels. In my mind, it simply does not get any better than Jane Austen.

Volume II Review:

I also recently finished re-reading Volume II. Jane Austen's novels certainly do transcend time. Whenever I read them I am struck by some new truth applicable either to my life or life today in general. What was true about human nature approximately 200 years ago remains true today, which makes relating to and understanding Jane Austen so easy as well as gratifying.

Like the heroine in Emma, who hasn't known a spoiled brat whose natural vanity is the result of being blessed in everything? Emma's superior attitude is a bit galling at times, and I positively cringed at some of her blunders, but Emma has a good heart. She makes mistakes, like we all do, but eventually she begins to understand her errors through the help of her good friend Mr. Knightly. Thank goodness for friends who love us in spite of our imperfections!

In Northanger Abbey, I am tickled to death not only by Catherine's naivete but also by Jane Austen herself. The first half of this novel is filled with the most hilarious observations which seem to come directly from Austen, and the second half is filled with the overactive imagination of Catherine Morland, who has read perhaps too many novels. In this parody of Gothic fiction, Austen pokes fun at both herself and her audience. It is truly a delight.

When I first read Jane Austen in my mid-twenties, Persuasion was my favorite novel. It gave me hope. I felt so strongly for Anne Elliot, who at nineteen was convinced by her family to reject the man she loved because of his lack of rank and fortune. Seven years later, after he has acheived his fortune, she is thrown into this same man's company. She must watch, agonizingly, while he courts two other young ladies. Anne's courage and fortitude are inspiring.

Strong Edition.......2006-03-20

This hardback is a solid binding on good quality paper. It easily stands up to the many re-readings Austen's novels deserve.

Jane Austen anti-Modern Library consipiracy??.......2005-11-10

There are two similar in tone if not identical reviews on amazon.com and amazon.ca warning people away from this edition because it's not "complete".

Clearly, they didn't read the title past "Complete Novels" to the "Volume I" part which specified pretty precisely which of the six complete novels were part of this volume.

I'm mystified. Surely anyone who's willing and eager (let alone able) to read Austen could understand it would take two volumes to publish the complete works? Come on, they average 300 pages apiece!

So I think the two correspondents are agents of Penguin or Oxford World's Classics or somebody who has an interest in turning people away from the Modern Library editions.

Oh yeah, a review: the Modern Library editions are excellent. They're complete (so you have to buy TWO books!), they're affordable, and they're durable.

Caveat Emptor - DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM BEFORE READING THIS.......2000-08-16

This review is not for the novels of Jane Austen, rather for the item offered here on amazon.com

Much to my surprise, after I ordered "The Complete Novels of Jane Austen (Modern Library Series)" ISBN 0679600264, only one book arrived. As pictured above, Vol I contains S&S, P&P, and MP.

The other three novels must be in Vol II, you surmise? Wrong! THAT IS ALL YOU GET !

Apparently, "complete" is a relative term, meaning "half of". At best, this listing shows ignorance. At worst, this listing is fraud.

Jane's prose is perfect.......1998-04-14

Jane Austen is still where she belongs, between book covers. We know the stories are good, but what isn't immediately obvious is the many recent adaptations is what an impeccable writer of English prose she is - no posturing word-dropper, no purveyer of hoary terminology, but a fine, simple, straightforward narrator.

She is brief but telling, using tilt and tone to make us smile. She doesn't bore with tedious flashbacks or podding descriptions of a new character's background. And she tells us what we wanted to know, just when we want to know it. As I am wondering what became of Mr. Bingley, he turns up; as I am trying to remember what the party is doing in Bath, it becomes clear. She's always ahead, dropping just the right number of crumbs.

Jane's world moved slowly, and reading her takes time. Her cncerns are universal - how to fill the hours of the day, the pairing of single young men and women, the effects of money, household matters. Her ethical domain is dominated by consideration - of others' feelings, needs, requirements. The occasional rebellious spirit is not admired, concepts such as fulfillment and freedom never enter her head. As for "needs" beyond basic physical ones - an idea that would have astonished her - she would have substituted "obligations."

But there is something about all this that keeps us going back, and back and back.

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